As anticipated, the Senate passed a six-month Medicare payment fix after it became clear no long-term deal would be struck. This latest bill calls for a 2.2% increase in payments to physicians. The bill is now headed to the House of Representatives before the president can sign it. The House had passed a bill in May that included a 19-month pay fix, however, that bill stalled in the Senate over concerns with the hefty price tag.

Until final approval, the previously scheduled 21.3% reimbursement cut will go into effect. Upon passage, the pay fix will be applied retroactively to June 1st. Any claims that had been reimbursed at the 21.3% cut can be reprocessed and retroactively adjusted.

Stay tuned for further legislative developments that are likely to come as this latest fix will expire in November.